JBL
LX 500
Floorstanding Speakers

Product Description

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
pc642
a Audio Enthusiast

Date Reviewed: February 14, 2005

Bottom Line:

I rescued these from a friend who was going to sell them at a garage sale!! I had just received an Amp I bought on eBay so I hooked it up to these JBL's to test the Amp (Rotel Rb-991 200wpc THX) and it sounded amazing. I thought it was the Amp that sounded incredible but when I hooked the Amp up to my B&W 601's (S3) half the detail disappeared. It cant be so! (I thought), everyone knows that B&W are WAY better sounding than these cheap JBL's. I switched back and forth to make sure my ears were not deceiving me, I even had some friends listen. Sold the B&W's shortly afterwards on eBay. The LX-500's have great midrange and highs, but lack deep punchy bass. I have a Sunfire True Sub MKII so it makes no difference to me! This combination is the best I've heard in a long time and I'd recommend the LX-500's to anyone not wanting to spend Thousands on a pair of speakers. Sound rivals that of speakers costing 2,3, or 4 times the price and what these go for used is ridiculous, grab a pair if you can find them. I would give these 5/5 if they had more bass, but what can you expect from a speaker this size?

The JBL's hold a very special place in my heart (seriously). Humble beginning = Onkyo 2 channel receiver w/ 50 watts per channel (high current w/ some nice bass enhancements built-in). They rocked w/ this amp!! My 1st purchase of speakers for this amp was the L1's (sounded good in the store), but not w/ only 50 watts drivin' 'em (power hungry). The LX500's replaced them in '94 and have been my main speakers since. Some inexpensive 8" stands...just for a little tilt-action have been underneath them since the beginning. I had an opportunity to use a BEAST of an amp (ONKYO M504......weighs as much as I do)...165 watts per channel....peaks at 500..... but Did NOT sound as good as the 50 watt Onkyo because the matching pre-amp had no bass enhancements built-in....which equalled no bottem end..... I now have a 2nd-hand-THX certified Pioneer Elite w/ all the "stuff"...matched w/ Jbl's in the rear (j520's), a CS400 center & a Velodyne sub....and the JBL's are still goin' (and not workin' near-as-hard as in previous years....before sub-age). I believe that the negative responses to this speaker are because of a lack-o-power or bass management (just a thought)...but it's really nice to see all these guys and gals w/ the LX500's still goin!! Long live the JBL's! 5 stars all-the-way.....ps...I've finally figured out that I'm NOT an audiophile...my pocket-book won't let me!

These sound sooo good in a mid-sized room with the right power. I have a Scott integrated amplifier I think is a European model from the 70's or 80's, not sure, but is 50/wpc. The Scott has a really smooth, warm output, and with the JBL's I am very happy considering I have this as my 'kitchen stereo'. I would really like to find some LX600's and a matching center to run home theater with these. Great speakers. Look a little like the Northridge series 3-way 8's but I can not really tell how close or apart they are 'genetically'. I'd rather have the LX500's than the 4312's I had previously which had harsh highs and no sub-bass for a 12" cabinet. I was disappointed in the 4312s and that's another story. Rock those LX 500's!!!!

Again, these are excellent speakers for the money. I've read some recent reviews of current JBL speakers in the same price range as the LX500's and they are quite positive. The reviewers sound like they are describing the same strengths and weaknesses as the LX500. These speakers are D/C'd so if you can find a used pair, snap them up!

JBL are good speakers for the average listener. This model line suffers from poor assembly. Both the Port tube and the speaker terminals were poorly mounted with what appears to be a glue-gun.

After a reasonable break-in period, these speakers can sound very nice with most Solid State and Push-Pull Tube amplifiers with power ratings of 20 watts RMS or more.

The quality of the woofer and midrange units are questionable, but the Titanium Tweeter is a very sophisticated design with extended frequency response.

If one is looking for a decent pair of Main Loudspeakers for medium sized rooms, consider the LX-500's. If not then go for the LX-600's that have a 10" Woofer driver for a bit better bass presentation.

Be aware that original replacement parts for these speakers are very expensive and only available through a parts outfit in Kansas.

I rate these an average buy for the casual listener. These are not Audiophile speakers, but are rather for those who prefer to listen to their music without paying too much attention to the soundstage, imaging and focus.

On older models the Woofers might need re-foaming which will change the sound of the bass, depending on whether one can acquire the exact replacement surrounds.